NIH database links genetics, medical info

The National Institutes of Health has added more than 55 billion bits of genetic data to its database of accessible information through its Genetic Epidemiology Research on Aging division.

The data comes from a population with an average age of 63, and the addition is part of a larger project that will now link genetic data to the medical information of more than 78,000 people. Access is limited to researchers, and the NIH says linking genetics and medical information will help researchers identify “the potential genetic underpinnings of a variety of diseases.” The institutes say the breadth of the data will also help researchers “confirm or disprove other studies that use data from relatively small numbers of people.”